I'll Always Be
by Rewind Soldier
Summary: Haha, this is probably a bad thing to do, but this story's on hiatus? ... I'm totally dead brained on this story, and I don't think any of my stories have been the best of my ability yet, Not saying I have much to offer...,. I'm sorry... PEACE!
1. Getting Introduced

Disclaimer: I wish I owned them. I'd be rich then. Unfortunate events pass. I am not an owner. I'm not rich. Yay, don't I feel happy.

Hello! Um, this is my first fanfic. It starts off weird... And it changes ever so weirdly. Right now I'm working on the third chapter... (just to be ahead because I know I'm not all that faithful...) Hope you guys enjoy!? Oh, just so you all know, my style of writing, there's a whole lot of dialogue... it's just what I do.Haha, I've had this in my "library" for a really long time now, I'm scared to post!!! ... Here we go...

(Tai) she's trying to convert you all into a cult that represents her own dark evil within that head of hers.

I am not!

(Matt) really? I always thought you were.

(Sora) don't be rude. Of course it's not a cult. It's more of a...n environmental treaty among friends to dominate the world, right?

... I-

(Sora) just a thought.

I could erase all of you from this story at an instant and replace you all with characters from Barney. Be warned.

(Matt) on with the story my friend!

I'll Always Be

Ch. 1 Getting Introduced

One of the most meaningful, and probably the most stupid, questions Yamato had to ask his betrothed girlfriend was, "How do you tell the difference between love and friendship?" Most would say that he was cheating on Askia, his long-term friend and lover. However, he thought he was too loyal of a person to be able to be so unfaithful to anyone, but some could say otherwise. Both the girls held a firm place in his heart; he loved them and they were just as beautiful and attractive as the other. But sometimes he couldn't stop looking into her eyes.

Matt sat back in the school chair yawning. He rolled his eyes as he glared at the teacher lecture on for the rest of the half hour. Hidden in his ear was a headset, slightly nodding his head to the beat of the music, the teacher noticed his constant agreement.

"Mr. Ishida, would you like to tell the class what your point of view is about this?" He suddenly sat straight in his chair and gazed forward, clueless of what they had been discussing.

"Not really." Matt's reply came monotonously. His female classmates giggled at him. He shrugged the laughter off and looked back at the teacher.

"Ishida, please at least enlighten me about what we've been talking about for the past week?" The teacher sat down at her desk, facing all the students, and put her hands up to meet her slender face. She watched him with a bored expression as he looked ahead at the white board.

"Natural Selection and Evolution." He mumbled, merely guessing from random words he happened to pick up during past lectures he miraculously remembered.

"Yeah Ishida; everyone give him a round of applause. Pay attention Ishida, I beg you. This semester, I want you all to pass this one class." The young teacher glanced at each student. "At the least." She added under her breath. None of them were listening. The teacher suddenly stopped her lecturing having received a note from the office. "Students, I forgot. I'm glad to announce to the class that we are going to be adding another student to our amazingly intellectual class, if I may."

"Oh, let's hope it's one hot chick." The class was slaughtered in laughter hearing Josh be the one simultaneously shouting into the ears of the class. Matt rolled his eyes; only seeming intrigued by hearing there would be something new to his every day life.

"So, what sex is it going to be?" Vincent smirked suggestively, looking at Hotaru, a girl in the class, and winking at her after checking her out. She shivered at his odd glare; his blazing hair didn't make her too comfortable either. Yes, this was definitely a pervy class. The teacher rolled her eyes behind her thick glasses.

"SHE is actually here right now. Class, welcome Takenouchi Sora." The class let out ramblings and unpredictable comments. Matt watched as the new student stood at the front of the class, clueless what to do. He noted that she was tall, and seemed like the shy type. "Sora, why don't you take a seat between Vincent and Hotaru?" The teacher grinned seeing Vincent's reaction to the separation. Matt smiled welcomingly as Sora passed him to sit next to the pair. Sora twirled her hair and looked at the teacher as she resumed to teaching the lesson. The new student was different from all of the others that Matt knew. She was very cute and it would seem that she was very popular, even with her reserved smile.

"Owe, owe! Sexy chick!" Josh was heard in a whisper. Sora could tell that the comment was directed to her, but she merely continued to look up at the front of the class… almost, interested. Class couldn't be more boring. The blond snuck a few glances at the new girl once in a while. Her eyes rarely wandered beyond the board and her notes. How she could bare to sit for so long, acting interested (If she was acting at all) was a wonder. Matt walked out of class instantly as the bell rung for the end of class. The teacher yelled out into the hall, calling Matt back into the class. A moan could be identified as the stunning blond's just before his tall stature walked in. She asked Matt, who was too eager to leave her class, to escort Sora to her next class. Matt was a popular guy and was always gentle towards people; he didn't hang as low to be 'teacher's pet' but was highly favored. Deciding not to argue, Matt waited for Sora as she picked up her book and exited the class. Even for being new to the school, the girl seemed extremely slow.

"What's your next class?" He asked, seeming completely unwilling to assist her.

"Um, Mr. Smith I believe it is. English teacher…" Sora looked down at the paper in her hands that indicated her classes. Matt seemed frustrated.

"You think? The schedule says it flat out for you." He stood next to her and looked at her schedule. "Huh, yeah. You have Mr. Smith for second period English, but he doesn't teach second period."

"Oh really? What do I do then?" Sora asked timidly. Matt saw his girlfriend waiting for him outside of band class. He touched Sora's hand by accident and pulled away.

"Sorry, hey, I need to talk to someone and I'll be right back to help you alright?" Without recognition, he left to Askia. Sora raised her eyebrow and watched him hug a beautiful girl waiting by the lockers. He spoke to her, kissed her intently, and returned to Sora. "Come on, I'll take you to the counseling office, they should be able to fix your classes." Sora smiled tenderly as he guided them to the office. "I'm Matt by the way." He grinned. Sora finally saw a loosening side of him. They shook hands, "Matt, good to meet you. As you probably already know, I'm Sora."

"Yeah, that's a cute name as well." Sora blushed slightly and silently followed Matt into the front office. She glanced at the back of his figure. She reddened lightly at his strong, slender body with a head of gold.

"Hi, how can I help you two?" The counseling secretary smiled at them. Sora held back, and waited for Matt to say something. But he was yet to say anything.

"I can't help you do everything, Sora." He smiled seeming to tend her into preparation of being able to be independent. Sora flushed dimly and tucked her hair behind her ear.

"Right, uh." She paused and turned to the paper in her hands. Matt poked her in the ribs. "OK! Uh, it says here I have Mr. Smith for English second period, and Matt says he doesn't teach second period." Sora instantly shut her mouth, resisting from saying anymore.

"Hum, and you know what? Matt is right, he doesn't teach then. Let me see what I can do about this. Do you want to take a seat? And Matt, you should head to class, thank you for bringing in this sweet girl." She smiled and excused him.

"Hey, I'll see you later." Matt shot her one of his sexy grins, causing her to melt inside. He saw a small spark in her eye and realized that he had accidentally given her the smile he only gives to Askia. He instantly burst away, resisting falling deeper into a misunderstanding. Sora knew he was already with a girl, but his kindness and melting smile threw her into him. She sighed and leaned on the backrest of the chair.

"He's a kind young man, that boy Matt." The counselor looked at Sora, while her stubby fingers still typed away. "He's been in this office oh too many times to remember. He's a nice boy, he's brought in many lost kids here." She smiled and returned to her computer. Sora watched the lady type while humming her own sweet tune.

'Yeah, like that's supposed to help. I bet she doesn't even know he has a girl friend.' Sora thought and put her legs on the seat of the chair, hugging them. 'I want to go home. I hate this place already. Why did my parents have to pull me away from my friends?' She sighed and faced the wall, doing nothing but starring. The secretary sent Sora to another class, changing her entire schedule. She entered the class late, as she had the class before, and she was looked down upon. She came into an International Honors class, with students who were deeply concerned about their education, and hated disturbances; mega geeks you might say. She could tell that she wasn't very welcomed to this particular class, and should stay quiet throughout the period. Sora sat in the assigned seat, and felt long and despised glares fired at her. She ran out of the class, and stood in the hall trying to find the next room. Matt was with Askia, but saw that Sora needed help again. Sora fidgeted with the paper, and nearly threw it to the ground when Matt approached her.

"Hey." He said coldly, which still gave the girl a melting sense. Sora looked up at him, and dropped to the ground, pushing down her skirt. "Uh…"

"I hate this place." She retorted monotonously. Matt smiled and held out a hand to help her up.

"Come on. What's so bad about this place? I mean, at least the people here are decent." He said as Sora grabbed his hand tightly.

"And you're saying where I came from before this, the people weren't decent?" Sora asked, her grip loosening. Matt chuckled.

"Right, that's what I meant." He pulled her to her feet. "What's your next class? I'll help you get there." Sora looked carefully at his expression.

"Are you sure? Don't you have a girlfriend that would…" she was interrupted by Matt's strong and stern look that she noticed he had thrown at her with viciousness.

"Askia trusts me. I trust Askia. Don't bring that up again." He smiled shortly and glanced at Sora's new schedule. Sora looked at him questioningly, but let it go. "Oh fun, you have math with me." Matt looked up and noticed Sora looking at the floor thoughtfully.

"Huh what?" Sora said smiling timidly as she faced Matt again. "Math… you… ok then." Matt noticed her stuttering, and tried to ignore it. Sora looked at the passing ground as she followed Matt down the hall. 'He can't know that I'm starting to fall for him. He's got a girlfriend, and he'd be pissed if he knew! Ah, my inner feelings released. Holy shit, I'm falling for him!?' Matt looked back at Sora every few moments, and always saw her with her head posed looking towards the ground.

"Something interesting down there?" He managed to ask, 'Wow, that was a retarded question' he thought. He hit her arm lightly. "Put your head up. It's no harm to let people see your face." He smiled. Even though it wasn't his deeply enchanting grin, Sora found him truly unbelievably attractive. She raised her head as he told her to, and Matt saw her full face for the first time. He couldn't help it, but he thought of her as simply beautiful. He quickly turned away and thought of Askia. Sora saw him turn, and quickly felt the forced rejection. Chills traveled through her; even though she tried not to release it, she shivered crazily. Matt saw and didn't mention anything, even though he was concerned about her. He tried not to look at her, but his concern overpowered his will. "You okay? Not cold in here or anything." Sora forced a smile and refrained from talking at all.

'Why does he have to be so nice?!' She screamed at herself and bit her lip to sort of punish herself. "I say it again, I hate this place." Matt looked back at her expression and saw no regret of completely insulting her new home. "If I actually had a social life here, maybe it wouldn't be so terribly agonizing and heart throbbing. Maybe I would even smile!" She let out a sarcastic sigh. "And maybe I could become a social reject and my parents will send me back! Brilliant!" By this time, Matt was at a total stop several steps behind her and staring at the girl. Sora noticed and looked back. "I talk to myself to gain attention. Attention usually comes from myself." Matt smiled and continued. She had a way of making him smile constantly, her mere presence made him at ease. They entered the classroom like friends of many years, which spread suspicion upon Matt's fan girls. Askia, being Matt's girlfriend, wasn't very popular with the other girls. He had a large mass of fan girls merely growing off of him. His popularity had grown immensely after the debut of the Teen-age Wolves. The fan girls watched as Matt and Sora talked throughout math class. This particular class was full of professional gossipers and with a mouth with the strength unimaginable. Instantly, the word got out that Matt and Sora were getting along slightly too well.

Lunch came by, and Matt invited Sora to join his friends at the 'reserved' table. "Askia, this is my new friend, Sora." He introduced with much enthusiasm. His girlfriend turned slightly red for an unknown reason, and smiled sweetly.

"Hi, Askia, Matt's girlfriend." She put her hand out; to Sora, it seemed that she was trying to display her hand to gawk over. Sora ignored that and shook her hand.

"Hi. Sora, a nobody with a social status of zero for the moment being." She grinned foolishly. She might as well make some interesting impression on anyone and everyone. Sora looked at her, she was beautiful. It wasn't hard to see why Matt was with her; jealously spilled throughout her. 'Whatever,' she thought; it wouldn't be as if she would have to compete against her. Askia went to get lunch and left Matt and Sora to talk. He gawked behind the redheaded beauty.

"Obsessive fanatics ETA five seconds." Sora flashed a glance behind her before she felt a hand grasp her wrist and a pulling sensation. She looked back at Matt who seemed too used to the fact girls loved him. She gaped behind them and saw a mass of girls picking up the pace towards them, actually more of Matt. She laughed at the thought that he went through this merely every day. "What are you laughing at?" He asked as he began climbing a wall of the school. He helped her up and watched the girls turn confused. "Love that every time." He chuckled cutely. She unconsciously stared at him as he continued smiling down at the fussed fans. He looked back at her, and she startled.

"You go through this everyday, I suppose." Sora tried to cover up. Matt looked at her, momentarily staring. She amazed him in some way.

'Think twice on what you're thinking.' Matt slapped himself mentally over and over. 'Remember, Askia is betrothed to you already. Woo I'm getting laid soon! The hell, I'm a perv.'

"Looks like you're thinking hard." Sora laughed softly at him. His eyes narrowed.

"Its better to think than to do nothing and stare at people." He eyed her accusingly.

"Shush." She got up smiling at him. She helped him up and accidentally looked into his beautiful azure eyes. She let go of his hand half way up, and dropped Matt onto the concrete of the school.

"Geez, rejection," He stood and rubbed his bottom.

She farced a smile and looked over the ledge to distance herself from his amazing blues. "Well, they're gone." She looked back and her gaze fell onto his eyes again. Sora had never seen such clear blue eyes.

"What's with you?" He asked, seeing her in a daze. Sora just smiled.

"Hey Matt, that you up there?" They heard a scream from below. Sora looked over the edge and saw a bushy headed boy climbing the wall. "Oh, oops. Hi there." The brunette saw a red headed beauty looking down on him. He gave her a large grin.

"Hey Tai. What up?" Matt made an appearance next to Sora and gave his friend a hand and pulled him with them.

"I was just about to rat you out to your faithful fan girls." He shot out another foolish smirk. "But who's this?" They both looked at Sora, which made her shiver.

"Sora, she's new here today. Apparently she's anti-social and is facing deep agony in her current life here at school." Matt grinned at her and then looked back to Tai to see his reaction.

"Oh, cool." Tai said coolly and saw Matt watching him carefully. Tai was an extremely flirtatious guy, who tried to woo as many females as possible. Matt was simply waiting for his long-time friend to start hitting on the sweet new girl. "So Askia and I were talking about seeing a movie this Friday." He said in a phony voice, putting up a convincing act.

"Really, well you two go ahead. I've got that volunteering to do, so you enjoy. No making moves on my girl though." Matt made a stern glare and put a finger up to his face. "I'm kidding man, you know I trust you." Sora sat down and watched the boys talk.

"Wow, this is extremely interesting. It's like a five star movie. Woohoo!" She whispered to herself as her fist launched into the air, trying to provide interest for herself at the least. She poked her fingers together and started humming.

"What are you doing?" Sora looked up, seeing both boys eyeing down on her.

"I felt neglected." She gained more curious glares. "I'm allowed to do what I want aren't I?" The girl shouted in her own defense.

"She's all yours man." Matt laughed, patting Tai on the shoulder as he jokingly took a step backwards.

"Yeah, so Sora. Want to go see a movie with me later?" Tai inched an arm around her slender shoulders.

"Smooth." Her fiery eyes blinked at the brunette's obviousness. "I'm busy unpacking and such. Maybe the next blue moon."

"Sure!" Sweet curves found their ways across the lips of the two teens silently laughing at Tai. He began rambling loudly to himself about his plans for his upcoming date.

"Is he always… so… dumb?" Sora questioned while she sat simply on the cement roof to the school building. Being joined by the gorgeous blond, she smiled.

"He was born stupid." Matt shrugged indifferently.

* * *

Yes. I am aware we are born stupid. Hope you enjoyed! Please review!!!!!!!!!

WUAHAHAH! little bunny foo...


	2. Sorry

I'm glad you all made it this far! I still don't own digimon, so the world is still round. Just a little warning, it's rated this way for a reason. :) Enjoy! Gracias!

Ch. 2 I'm Sorry

"Hey Tai! I haven't seen you in a long time! How are you?" She reached her arms around his neck and held him in a friendly embrace. Askia smiled sweetly in his arms.

"I've been alright, and yourself?" Tai smiled, carrying out the conversation.

"Same old, same old; hey, let's get going before Matt gets mad."

"Oh, did he not tell you? He can't come today; some volunteering crap." The brunette had grabbed her by the wrist and explained tenderly.

"Is that so? He never said anything about it. Let's go anyway." She grinned and pulled her friend towards the movie theaters. She sped, dragging Tai along, also hiding her unenthusiastic expression.

"Thanks again for covering for me, Matt. I owe you a ton. But there's this new volunteer today, he'll be here any time now, and he's going to help you for today. Show him around would you? I've got to run now, thanks!" Mike waved and ran out the door. The blonde let out a sigh once he was left alone in the office room. Just then, the door opened.

"Hi, how are-" Matt paused seeing a familiar face. "Hey Sora, what are you doing here?"

"Hello. I'm volunteering today."

"You wouldn't happen to be the "he" Mike was talking about, would you?"

"I would totally know what you're yammering about."

"Today's your first day?" He asked bluntly. Sora nodded, responding with just as much enthusiasm. "Ah, well. File these." Matt patted a pile of papers. With a smug smirk, he began walking away.

"Stupid bastard." Sora's volunteering hours passed by amazingly slow. She blamed it on Matt, her "superior" in the volunteering community, who made her stare at papers all day.

"Hey, good job today, Sor." Matt patted her head like a child as he came out from the break room. She glared at him with slight hatred, watching him hoard down a donut. "Yeah, I know I was unfair to you today. I'll take you to lunch to make it up. Your hours are up right?" He was taken aback when she finished up her work without responding at all to him. "You can't seriously still be mad at me." Sora grabbed her bag and walked out, Matt trailing behind her. She opened the door to a dark sky, pouring rain on them.

"Take me somewhere." She said surprisingly softly and waited for Matt. He guided her to his car, trying to cover her from the rain. Sora waited quietly as Matt sat in the driver's seat. She was extremely quiet. Matt knew something was wrong, but said nothing.

"Ah, such a good movie!" Tai stretched as he walked out of the theaters with Askia behind him.

"Whatever, all that was, was people hitting other people, and more people. Not even a story!" They stood outside arguing shortly, until Askia noticed the light rain getting heavier. "Whatever Tai. Did you drive here? I could use a ride." She looked at him hopefully.

"Askia, you know I love you, but honey, I'm headed out of the city right now. I'm actually late." He bit his lip and stared at his watch.

"Oh, where are you going?" Suspicion grasped the girl.

"Soccer tournament down south. Sorry bud."

"No, it's alright Tai. I'll call Matt. I'm sure he's off by now. Don't be late! GO! Good luck!" She pushed him away towards the parking lot. He started calling back what seemed like a 'thanks' as he jogged to his car. Immediately, the rain seemed to have intensified. She called Matt as she headed back into the building.

Matt and Sora just entered a small and quaint resturaunt. "Hey Sor! Let's sit here!" the blonde called out at the seat near the window. Sora smiled at him as she walked up to him. He grinned happily until Sora made a smooth path right past him. She sat down at a table away from the window, facing Matt. A smile sat smug across her face. He rolled his eyes and walked up to her. He picked up his ringing cell phone as he sat across from the smiling auburn haired girl. "It is the Ishida."

"Hey Matt darling. I went to the movies with Tai, and I'm stuck here in the rain. I told Tai to go ahead. Could you pick me up please?"

"Sure, I'll be there soon." Matt got up and received an odd look from Sora. "Sorry, I have to pick up Askia. She's stranded in the rain. I'll be back, don't worry. Sorry Sor, I'll have to make it up to you again some time." He waved as he ran out the door. Sora rested her chin in her palms as she watched through the frosted window as Matt jump into his car.

"Mattie! You took forever!" Askia ran to the car and sat down, slightly wet. She grabbed him and pulled him into a sweet kiss. He felt her cold lips press against his as a weird feeling passed through him, and eventually drew out of the kiss.

"You're cold. Sorry it took a while. Crazy people come out when it rains." He joked oddly, starting up the car.

"It's okay Matts. I really want to get home though." Before long, Matt and Askia sat at her couch, snuggling quietly and enjoying the other's company. "Hey, are you alright? You've been kind of quiet today."

"Uh, yeah. I'm just tired from the volunteering today." He lied behind a smile. Such hard work today, all done by the efficient working auburn headed girl. "Oh crap." Askia looked at her boyfriend questioningly. "I forgot to do something back at the volunteering center. Sorry Askia, I really have to go."

"Come back later okay? My parents won't be home." She put on a seductive smile, running her fingers down Matt's chest. He got up and buttoned up his shirt and smiled faintly.

"I'll see you later. Bye!" He jolted towards the door. Askia nearly fell off the couch while trying to grab Matt's loose shirt. She pulled him closer and snuck in a deep kiss, making sure he would come back for more.

"Don't keep me waiting too long." She grabbed his hand and made him touch the skin of her chest before letting him walk out the door.

Matt ran into his car and immediately rushed back to the resturaunt where he had left Sora. It had already been hours since he last saw her, and the rain was yet to let up; the rain even got harder. Pulling into the parking lot, he quickly parked and ran into the resturaunt almost soaking. Matt let out a sigh of relief seeing Sora still in the seat he left her in. He approached her while her head was down, resting on the table. A waitress passed him and noticed the situation. "Weren't you the one who left her here earlier?" Matt nodded with a curious feature. "Honey, she sat here crying for a while. She later fell asleep. I felt sorry for her, so I let her stay, but if any longer, the boss will freak." She stated with a warning before returning to her work. Matt felt guilt pressure through him. He left here there for hours, being completely inconsiderate.

"Sora." He shook her shoulder gently, trying to rouse her pleasantly. She slowly raised her head, revealing a face shining in tears. "Sor..." She quickly wiped her eyes and smiled at the blonde.

"Hi. Took you long enough." The girl yawned tenderly, trying to conceal her tears. "I walked to the volunteering center, so I was hoping you would give me a ride home. I didn't want to walk in the rain." She said with another smile. It was obvious this girl was sweet, caring, and selfless, the reasons behind her trying to veil her aching.

"Sora." He sat down next to her and almost felt his guilt send him to tears, just almost. Her smiling, yet sad expression made him feel weak and pained, "I'm so sorry I left you here for so long. I-"

"I'm okay." She interrupted him with her short and to-the-point sentence. "I just really want to get out of here. It's a charming place, but I wouldn't want to stay here for the rest of my li-"

"I'm sorry." He barged in, regretfully.

"Get over yourself, I'm fine. I'll always be." She stood, looking down at her new friend. "Take me somewhere." She faked smiled and walked to the door, staring out at the rain with a saddened expression. Matt held onto her shoulders, guiding her shortly into the rain and to his car. Matt thought through his troubles to himself while they sat in his car. He had already seen many sides to Sora's personality in the two days they've known of the other's existence. At school, Sora showed a timid girl walking around, afraid of the world; and later she became the sociable chick everyone wanted to at least say hi to. Sora had a charm in her smile and humor when they became friendlier. And her other side sent out a girl who worked diligently under a superior without a word of complaint, because she was a worker. Again, she was flipped over by her behavior in the resturaunt. She became reserved and considerate to a point that she directed all the blame down her own throat to calm others. Sora had an umpteen number of faces together in her one.

"Um, so where's this somewhere you want to go?" Matt broke the silence while they drove around the city aimlessly. Sora waited a moment before answering,

"I don't know." She watched the windshield wipers move back and forth, pushing the rain down the window. Another long silence hovered between them until Sora set eye on a park. "Let's go there." Matt stared at her oddly before not knowing why he was parking. Once the car stopped, Sora got out and ran through the park and rain to a dry spot under the picnic area.

"Sora?" Matt approached her sitting on the picnic table just staring out. He joined her and asked again, "Sora…? Are you okay?" He shivered seeing the beauty smile sincerely. It was the first smile he's seen from her that day that was pure and true.

"I'm actually better than I have been for the past long while. I never thought rain could make me feel so relaxed and cleansed." She grinned and looked at Matt who began staring out as well. "Thanks for taking me here Matt. I live close by, so you can leave if you want."

"Nah, I'm not busy or anything. Sora," He watched the girl smile happily, and didn't want to ask the question he harbored in his mind. Her clear striking eyes glanced at him waiting for him to continue. "I'm really sorry to have made you cry back there. If there's anythi-"

"Matt, seriously. It wasn't you. My dad left my mom and me a long time ago. It was a rainy afternoon like this and he just walked off like he was some nomad with nothing tying him down. It wasn't you Matt. As important as you think you are, not everything's about you smarts." Sora joked while further reminiscing the dreary memory of her father.

"I didn't know. I'm sorry…"

"Don't be. I suppose I'm over it, but every time it rains, I seem to feel so alone. And back there, there really was no body around. I guess I just folded." Sora suddenly chocked on a cry but kept it in. "No worry." She smiled and ran out into the pouring rain.

Askia curled her legs close to her body while she sat quietly on the couch waiting for Matt's return. Hours had already passed and not even a call came from Matt. She began loosing her hopes when the doorbell rang. She smiled widely as she gripped the doorknob.

"Hey there sunshine!" Askia instantly shut the door in the visitor's face. Tai reopened the door and entered. "Well, I just came by to make sure you got home. Sorry again for leaving you there." Tai welcomed himself in and grabbed a drink. He looked over at the gloomy girl laid out on the couch. "Waiting for Matt?" He asked with a small chuckle, seeing her minimal amount of clothing.

"Shut up Tai."

"How long have you been waiting? It's not normal for Ishida to leave a girl waiting." Tai sat down with a cup in his hand and looked at his friend. "Askia, you've been my friend for a really long time, ya'know. You're someone who's going to be important to me forever. If Matt ever hurts you, you come straight to me, and I'll pull his insides out!" He gained a sweet giggle from her.

"Thanks Tai. But isn't Matt your friend too? I'd say you guys have been friends for even longer than I've known either of you."

"Whatever. I'll blow his face in even if he is my friend. My friends are happy, respectful, kind, and not to mention quite a sight." Tai tapped Askia's chin with a sly smile and laughed. "Say, if Matt doesn't get here in 30 minutes, I'll take you to the mall. If he does, I'm out of here. What do you say?"

"Sounds great Tai. Thanks." Askia sat up and looked at Tai, a real friend.

"What are you doing?" Matt shouted after her, watching the girl running in the rain. He shoved his hands into his pockets and grinned at the girl playing childishly with a strong gaze at the sky. The slight curl to the girl's beautiful auburn hair began straightening as the rain poured heavier. Sora ran to grab Matt's arm and pull him into the rain. She grinned, gripping his wrist. He stared at her in wonder, admiring her gleaming smile, but wondering about the tears spread across her face. "Sora."  
"I'm okay! I am." She shouted in a happy tone, letting everyone around think that she was all right.

It was past 10 when Matt returned to his warm adobe. He began unbuttoning his wet shirt as he walked in to the living room. With a jump, he saw Askia sleeping on his couch. He'd forgotten all about his girlfriend while he spent the rest of the day with Sora. Recently, he's had no sense of reliability. Matt went to the closet to bring Askia a fleece blanket to cover her from the autumn chills. As the blanket touched her skin, she woke up smoothly. "Good evening." She smiled sleepily. "Where were you?"

"I'll tell you tomorrow. Get some sleep right now." He leaned in to kiss her forehead before heading off to the shower. With that Askia felt uneasy. She some how felt rejected and definitely ignored. Her stubbornness kept her awake until Matt exited the bathroom with only a towel. Like any other day, Askia's hormones came in full effect. The beautiful blonde was hers. She walked up to him and slipped her arms around his neck and curled her fingers in his hair. Her leg slowly rose against his.

"Matt, I love you." The girl said bluntly with her lips barely touching his. She pressed her breasts against his bare chest as her tongue entered his mouth slyly. In the dark, Askia stripped her betrothed of his towel and caressed his body. Matt had another awkward sensation in him and only returned a short kiss before pulling away. He grabbed his towel and smiled,

"My dad's home. It'd be too weird if we were caught." Matt kissed her forehead again and walked away.

"What is up with him?" She shouted to herself causing a whole lot of turmoil to burn within her. Another action based on the impulse of her stubbornness, Askia barged into Matt's room.

"Askia?" He had a feeling that worried him. She looked extremely troubled and carried on into the middle of his room. He continued questioning her as she quickly put herself on top of her boyfriend. She forced a passionate kiss against his neck. Her hands roamed his torso and moaned at his taste. "Askia, stop. Today's not my night." She persisted and began unclothing him. "Askia." Matt said sternly with a warning in his voice. He got no reaction from her and was getting aggravated. With her tongue touching his skin, Matt abruptly pushed the girl off of him, causing her to fall harshly onto the floor.

"What the hell?" Askia shouted touching her cheek. She lifted her hand and revealed a small ensemble of blood. Barely scraped by the bedpost, she became furious and ranted on at Matt. Her mouth was nonstop with an irritating noise exiting her mouth; the indifferent boy heard none of her babbling.

"Get out."

"What?" Disbelief and anger surged in her blood as she got up.

"Get the hell out!" Matt shouted, standing to warn her. His voice was plenty loud enough to scare the girl. She shot a disgusted expression at him before walking out to the main door. She stood on the outside staring at him, her back to the darkness of the night.

"You kno-"

"GO!" Matt screamed the last time and shut the door violently in her face. He leaned against the door and heard her footsteps fade away. "I'm sorry." He found himself on the cold tile floor with a strong and stern face, but also with tears streaming down from his crystal eyes.


	3. Is It Possible?

Ch. 3 Is It Possible?

Her eyes welled up in tears as she ran through the park. Aimlessly, she tripped, falling over into the mud. She pulled her limbs close to her body for warmth from the cold wet night. She lay there crying, unable to move. The cold moving through her sent no indication to her head that she would become ill like that. She just curled up there, covered by mud. "Askia?" The distant figure burst to the girl's side. "What the hell?" Tai shouted at her. He instantly grabbed her and ran her to his place. Already late at night, Tai snuck back in his home carrying the girl. It would be horrifying if his mother caught him coming home so late and dirty, and even more terrifying to be found carrying in an even dirtier girl in with him. Tai placed his friend on his bed and quickly went out to get a clean towel. He came back to her eyes opened, with tears pouring. She looked lost and in pain. "Hey, how are ya' doing?" Tai asked gently, fearing the cries that might come in result. As he expected, she looked at him sadly without a reply. He smiled and stroked her hair before he stepped outside to the kitchen, closing the door behind him. Tai sat on the counter top and called Matt. "The hell, man?" Tai cursed at the blonde while he listened to the dreary rings of the phone. Matt sat on the other end staring at his cell phone across the room on the table, vibrating. His position was yet to change, and wouldn't for a long while. "Shit Matt!" Tai yelled in a whisper for the recorded message for Matt. Tai returned to his friend's side and offered his embrace. Askia buried her face in Tai's shoulder and sobbed. Tai was in for one long night.

Sora sat in the corner of her bed; eyes closed, and lower face concealed in her pillow. That day really must have been great for Sora. The day was spent with the hottest guy in the country, who also happened to be her new crush. She daydreamed about his innocent touch at the hand when they first met. She was nearly head over heels about this guy. A sudden smile appeared on her face while holding in a sweet excited feeling. She simply couldn't wait for Monday when she would see his face. With the grin stained to her lips, tears emerged. Those were hurting tears, even though she was joyous. "What the?" Sora asked herself. In the back of her head, unknown to herself, melancholy thoughts of her father lingered in her mind. She ignored her inner feelings and slept with much anticipation for school on Monday morning.

Tai had lost track of time while he watched his best friend sleep in his lap. He ran fingers down her smooth hair, accidentally causing the beautiful girl to rouse. Rubbing her eyes, she asked, "Have you been awake all this time?" She assumed it was a yes from his silence. "Sorry I've caused you to go through so much trouble. Tai, I really-"

"Whatever that Askia. What happened to you? I called Matt and he wouldn't pick up. What's going on?" His tone hid a scared sense behind it while a strong manner over powered at the time. Askia held her eyes closed as she engulfed the light air. The soft sounds of the night could be heard through the open window; it was a tender moment she wanted to stay in forever. She opened her eyes to the bright orbs of her best friend. The brown accent in his adoring eyes made her feel worthy. She held onto his hand as if she were scared to leave him. She suddenly realized what Tai meant to her.

"Tai, do you love me?" His eyes popped wider, stunned by her question.

"Yeah Askia. I could never not love you." He added a short chuckle to emphasize the silliness in her question. He watched her smile and felt easier. She pulled him into a tight embrace, making herself feel better about the whole ordeal. She pulled away and suddenly felt her lips on his. Yet Tai was the most shocked. "Askia?"

"Just shut up. It took me a while, but I love you." Askia closed her eyes and pressed her lips against Tai's once more. A quick make out session passed between the two. The girl lay comfortably on Tai's chest, feeling him breathe in slowly. "Tai, I really love you. You're some one I trust deeply, not so much with Matt."

"Askia," Tai began with a worried tone. Askia interrupted him with her lips biting his lower lip. "Listen! Askia!" for the second time that night; the poor girl had been scolded. "Askia, seriously? What is this? What are you doing making out with me while Matt is out there doing who knows what? What's going on between you two lately? I don't get it."  
"You love me right?" Tai ran a hand through his thick hair, realizing what his best friend meant earlier. A silence devoured the air between them.

"I don't. Not in that way…"

The girl jumped out of bed at the very sound of her alarm. She had been awake for the past 20 minutes waiting for time to pass. Throughout the tender girl's deep thoughts, she brought herself to promise that she would not fall for the blonde; she was... just rather excited that she's met a new friend. Sora found her way early into the first period class of her second day and smiled, walking in to see a drowsy teacher at his desk. The fiery headed girl turned to find a seat in the lines of desks and was surprised to see someone already there. "Matt?" She suddenly felt her heart pump blood throughout her body and put her things down next to him. She admired his face while he slept peacefully with his head lying on his desk. She sat next to him, and rested for a while herself. The minute-bell rang and woke the blonde. He opened his eyes slowly, observing blurs of people walking in though the class door. Matt rested his head just for a moment longer, and found his eyes directed to the lean girl in the desk adjacent to his. Her burning hair somehow made him smile as the bell rang to begin class. He sat up and barely engaged in the lecture Mr. Hashish was giving. Sora woke to a hand shaking her shoulder gently. Her eyes glanced up to see two alluring blue eyes.

"Hey there." Matt smiled weakly, "First period just ended." She yawned and observed the boy. Something seemed to bother him.

"Thanks Matt." She smiled at him and walked with the boy out of the class. "Is eve-"  
"I've got to head to history. I'll see ya' around." Matt interrupted the girl and walked away.

"Is everything okay Matt? No? I'm sorry, feel free to tell me anything. Sure, see you later bud." She rolled her eyes and made way towards her chemistry class. She stretched as she set foot into the lab behind the classroom and noticed Askia weakly smiling down at something in her hand. 'People are definitely in a weird mood today.' Sora made note as she sat down next to the girl. "Hey." She said warmly.

"Oh, hi. How are you doing?" Askia grinned at the red head but showed disinterest.

"I'm alright, and you? You don't seem very energetic today."

"I guess things could have played out better, but I'll live, you know?" Askia lost her smile as she observed the series of events recently. Since the arrival of this new girl, things have been falling apart. 'Sora seems like a sweet girl, but she's just bad luck. You can't blame her though.' She thought and smiled at her again. "No offense Sora, I don't exactly want to be consoled by you."

"Yeah, I totally get it." Sora smiled and turned to face forward in her desk. Class started and Sora pulled out paper to begin the notes. A paper folded into fourths dropped onto Sora's desk, she looked up and saw Askia's hand barely moving back towards her. "Indecisiveness." Sora mumbled to herself. She unfolded it and read:

Hey, so I guess I do need to give in a little. I need to spill it out or it'll just burn like an acid in me. Again, no offense, I just need someone to listen?

Sora wrote back simply, 'Sure'

'Thanks. Well, all out of the blue, my relationship with Matt seemed to be going downhill. Yesterday, after he picked me up from the movie theater, he said he forgot something and had to finish up something with the volunteering place he just came from. So when he came back home hours later, we had a fight. From there it gets a little personal, but after that I went to Tai for support and I guess I was disappointed again. Sora, I don't know what to do.' Sora read, and looked over at Askia who had her head down, most likely hiding her tears. She sighed; everything was getting more complicated. She began writing,

'Honestly, I'd personally react differently depending on what happened during the sweet little blur in-between the lines. But the best thing is to talk about it to them. Good luck. NOTE TIME! Fun…' As soon as class ended, Sora burst out of the room, avoiding any further contemplation with Askia. The life among those three was beginning to be too much for Sora. She moaned while the patterned continued and saw a familiar head of hair nearly sobbing at his desk. She smacked herself mentally and went to his side. "Hey there. How's it going?"

"Oh hey, Sora!" Tai sat up straight in his desk and smiled genuinely. He was troubled but he was still able to find a real smile; Sora admired that. She sat on top of the desk in front of the childish boy and waited for a reply; she expected another explanation of the same story at the least. Surprisingly, the brunette carried out a simple day-to-day conversation with a grin plastered across his slender face. The boy put up quite an act. His mouth droned on while Sora thought to herself, contemplating,

'Poor kid; he's pretending nothing happened. Or, like everyone else who has any sense of reason, he doesn't know me or trust me yet. Smart.' Before Sora knew it, two more class periods passed, and she found herself sitting behind a desk in the volunteering center, again.

"Hi, I'm calling for Hitsura-san. We wanted to remind you about the blood drive at the…" Sora nearly slammed her head against the desk while talking to her tenth call. "Thank you for your time; we hope to see you soon." Just as Sora was about to bang her head down, something covered her head and eyes.

"That looks great on you, Sor." The voice cackled. The girl was on her last string and pulled off the beanie to see a blonde sitting at the rim of her table. She had been on the edge all day, but seeing his simple smile softened her mood. For the first time in a long while, the auburn haired girl felt tired. For the longest time, in her mind, she wasn't even allowed to feel tired; she had to be alert for life no matter what. She rested her head on the table and looked at the boy.

"So, what happened between you and Askia? If I may be so brave." Matt rolled his head around his shoulders as he groaned and got up. He ran his fingers through his hair while walking away from her. Instinct told her to never stand down. "Hey." She refused to move from her wheelie chair and moved it along with her as she chased Matt and grabbed his sleeve. "Askia told me about it, minus the details, but I already know. If you want to talk it out, it really helps. But anyway, I'm going back to my desk, I'm sure it's lonely without me. Ciao." Matt watched the girl stare bored at the ceiling as her legs pushed herself back to her position at the desk. He couldn't help but to smile. Behind the protection of her flailing cubical walls, Sora grasped the black beanie in her hands and hugged the soft material. Matt walked in to the sight of a girl smiling to herself while smothering the hat, which he'd given her, in her tight embrace. He stepped back, out of sight to conceal his reddening face.

"Hey Matt! Hey, why are you all red?" Tai made a sudden appearance in the volunteering office and put an arm around his best friend's shoulder. Sora heard the familiar voice and blushed, hearing about the blonde. Still in her wheelie chair, Sora pulled out to see the boys talking. "Sora! Hey! What are you doing here?" The bushy headed brunette looked back and forth at Matt and Sora, while completely not registering anything Sora had said in reply. "Oh really, that's cool. Well, Matt and I are late for practice, so we've got to go. See ya'round Sor!"

"But he just got here?" She questioned, watching Matt walk obediently next to his best friend.

"Practice?" Matt was heard mumbling.

"Yeah, he's such an airhead. That's why I had to come here and get him. He's just, che-, ye-, neeh-, you know?" Tai stumbled and smiled ridiculously as he continued on his way out the door, dragging Matt behind him. Once they'd gotten out of sight of the building, Tai slowed down to a normal pace and kept going.

"Practice huh Tai?"

"Yeah dude, we need to talk."

"What about?" He asked so bluntly, it nearly sent Tai into a coma.

"Matt, what happened with Askia last night?"

"Ah, this again?" His azure eyes closed as his hands made way into a resting position on his head.

"HEY! Don't look so relaxed, you jerk!" With a forceful pull, Matt found a pair of hands clasped tightly on his collar. Their eyes met with two completely different emotions.

"Me relaxed in this situation? Like hell," His lips moved stubbornly. Matt pushed Tai away from him and looked back at him sternly. "I'll let you know, I'm far from relaxed." He hurled a warningly expression at his long time friend and turned away.

"Get back here! This is no where close to over!"

"I'm not going anywhere you idiot. Get over here so I can tell you." He stalled for time while he gathered up his roaming thoughts. Unfortunately for him, Tai was eager and found his way next to him in an instant.

"Uh, she was being horny. And last night was just a really bad night for me. And she insisted, and I told her to get out. About an hour shortened to ten seconds, so ya know, it's really detailed and all." Matt stuck his hands in his pockets, and snuck a look at his friend.

"That's it?" Tai asked simply, a complete surprise for the blonde. "You guys just had a fight?"

"Well, in the short yeah. I kinda yelled at her, if that helps." (("If that helps"? w/e Yama))

"Um, I have a confession." Tai stopped in his tracks, another surprise. "I found Askia in the park at night. She was crying on the ground and soaking in the rain, so I brought her home. Before I knew it, we were making out? I swear, it was all her! I've never thought of her more than my best friend! I just didn't know how to help her then. She was on to me!" He winced, afraid of a beating from Matt. He opened his eyes, wondering why he hadn't been hit yet. "Matt?" He asked once his eyes were completely open. "Ow!" The blonde had knocked him aside the head with a smirk. "What are you smiling about, you jerk?" Tai stated while questioning his actions.

"I'm scared to say this, but Askia and me, I don't think it'll work out."

"But, you guys are supposed to like, get married in less than two years, man!" The boy suddenly gasped, "It wasn't because of me was it?" He shouted worried, and grabbed his collar again.

"Calm down dude!" He laughed at him and shook his head. "Recently, it's like she's not as important to me like she used to be."

"Hey Matt, don't kill me for asking. Is this because of Sora?" His crystallizing cerulean eyes shot up at Tai, shocked.

"What?" The gorgeous blonde choked on a laugh of disbelief.

"Dude, don't be in such denial. I remember the first time you looked at Askia as more than just a friend. One completely arbitrary day you randomly picked off the freaking calendar, you suddenly looked at Askia like you've never loved another thing in your life before. I wasn't there when you first looked at Sora like that, but it was written all over you. It was kinda different though, when I saw you guys on the roof. I don't know really. It was like Sora was something you knew you couldn't have, which we all know that means you have to have it. But besides that, she was like a breath of new air for you; you were breathing old air for too long."  
"You're saying I can't have a long term relationship?" Matt asked jokingly, but honestly wanted to know his answer. He was considering what Tai had been saying, and didn't know what to think of it.

"No, well maybe, I don't know that, but honestly! Don't freaking lie to yourself. I'm sure you know by now that Sora seems to be always changing. I have to admit; she's a ton more than just looks, but she is sooooooooooo freaking hot. If I hadn't seen you so into her before, I would so go after her."

"Wait dude, I never said I had a thing for Sora." Matt gazed at his friend with almost a feigned laugh.

"Matt, the thing is, I don't think you know that you like her."

"That's stupid Tai."

"YOU'RE STUPID!" He had a sudden impulse that wanted to scream at the top of his lungs at his best friend. The boy suddenly stopped in his tracks and started to scream at his friend with a finger pointed accusingly in his face. Tai had a feeling about Sora that he knew would benefit Matt; he just didn't know how to interpret that notion he had about them. Tai laughed with his sincere personality and stopped at the very moment he noticed Matt's discomfort.

"You don't really think that do you?"

"Of course not Yamato! You're anything but retarded, dear friend."

"No, you idiot! Do you really think I like Sora without knowing it? I mean, that sounds like I'm someone that's totally oblivious and like… dumb, you know? CH, I mean I'm the Ishida; I can't be that absent minded. I'm not saying Sora's unattractive or anything, but honestly. " The blonde rambled, thinking it was impossible. His muttered words were like a defense mechanism he designed for himself with a definite result: confusion.

"More than you may ever know buddy." Tai whispered to himself with a laugh. "Matt, just don't listen to me about that, but everything else I say IS THE LAW. We cool? Sweet." The chocolate-eyed charming teen smiled and patted his friend's back. "I guess we're good then? Go get back to Sora."

"You mean the volunteering center."

"I said Sora didn't I?" The athlete screamed out as his back became smaller, walking away. Matt laughed gently to himself, thankful to have friends that did more for him than he could recognize. A platinum smile stuck firmly to his face as he began his trip back to Sora or the volunteering center, it didn't matter.

"Sora?" A familiar lean face appeared before the girl with a grin.

"Taichi, hey. What brings you back here? Without Matt? During practice?" Sora came to really like Tai. In the little time she's known him, he's given her a great impression and seemed like someone she could really trust. A smile gleamed at the presence of her new friend.

"Yeah, I wanted to talk to you. Matt went on to practice, but I'm ditching 'cause… this is important."

"Did something happen?" A worried expression came through as she began signing out of her volunteering session. Tai looked at her sincerely, almost sad.

"Not much." His lack of words surprised Sora greatly. They were outside, walking in silence until Tai suddenly groaned miserably.

"Tai, you okay?"

"I don't know how to say this, Sora. Simply put, don't hurt him. Honestly, he's a dumb ass kid."

"He… as in who?" The brunette chuckled; she was truthfully blunt as a rock.

"Yamato. He doesn't know it but he really likes y-"

"Back up, Taichi! I won't hurt him. As long as he's got a mental stability of one, to the slightest, he'll live. How and why would I hurt him in the first place? And, sorry I interrupted, what does he really like?" Her obliviousness covered the air between them with a followed silence. She amused him.

"Hey! Sor-" Matt came to the red head's cubical with an overly expressive happy face, to find no one there. "Hi Kai, did Sora leave already?"

"Yeah, I think you just missed her. By the way, where did you go? Weren't you supposed to start like half an hour ago? Hey!" Still with the same grin braided into his face, the blonde leaped out of the building, completely disregarding Kai's words. The poor boy was oblivious as he exited the confinement and ran into a passing beauty. "I'm so sorry."

"Matt?"

"Oh…" He rubbed the back of his hair nervously. "Askia. How are you doing?"

"Ch," The girl was clearly still angry. She jeered at him with spite, "That's a brilliant question Matt, especially what after happened." Honestly, this angry girl was more frightened than she would even know herself. 'Maybe showing anger will bring him back to me.' She thought, while hiding the desire to cry out. The concept that they would separate soon brought Askia to her knees. She knew the way things have been played; they wouldn't be together for long.

"Askia, are you all right?" There was guilt somewhere in him, Matt knew there had to be some at the least, but he seemed to be having a hard time finding it. 'What the hell? Even if you don't consider your lover anymore, she's still your friend! Be guilty already!' He began screaming at himself in his mind while the girl holding dearly to the cold touch of the cement. "Come on Askia. Let's talk." Matt held out his hand for her to grab and get up. A sad sensation was still in her system, but she was hoping this was a sign of starting over together again. She gripped his familiar hand willingly. He feigned a smile for her, but the girl had been his friend for too long; she knew it was a fake.

"Don't even kid me, Matt." Instantly, her hand left his and got up on her own. "Yamato. I don't want us to break up just yet. Please, can we try a little bit longer, maybe a little bit hard?" He saw the poor girl at the break of tears. As much as he wanted her to be happy, he had to be selfish. "Please."

"I'll try."

"You'll understand later, Sora." He pulled her into an involuntary hug. "Thanks a ton."

"You're weird Tai."

"Yeah, I know! Sorry I pulled you out of your… volunteery stuff. I've got to run now. Talk to you later!" Sora watched as the soccer player moved away. Curiosity burned into her head as she sat around, thinking. 'Now, what was so important about this?' Sora asked herself as she decided to go back and finish her hours at the center. She noticed a couple outside the doors of the volunteering place, slightly blocking her way in. She got closer and realized it was none other than Yamato Ishida and his girlfriend.

"I'll try." Sora heard the deep melodic voice say almost unwillingly.

"I really hope we can work this out Matt." The auburn headed girl watched as Askia wrapped her arms around the blonde, seeming to be at the break of tears.

'So, they've made up already? Ah good for them.' The girl seemed to push her emotions back inside of herself as she made herself display a smile before she walked up to them. "Hey guys!" She said happily, a bit too much. "Aw, cute." She spat out with more rashness than she expected; luckily the two didn't realize her bitterness behind it. But they could easily tell the smile was forced out of her. "Good to see you two friendly again. Please do excuse me though, I kind of want to get in there." She smiled again, more genuinely; her last sentence was actually the truth, one she didn't have to deny.

"Oh, sorry Sora. We're out of your way now." The girl smiled half-assed and pulled Matt away from the door gently. "Do you want to go grab something to eat together?" She offered once Sora was inside.

"Um, not today. Tomorrow, I promise. Right after school, okay?" He grinned at her and she agreed keenly.

"Right. I'm going to head home now. See you tomorrow!" Matt waved with a small smile. Sora watched through the clear door as Askia waved cutely in Matt's direction. Sora stepped through the door and walked on towards the outside world, sighing to herself, or what she thought was to herself.

"Hey Sora. What was that depressing sigh all about?" He smiled sharply as he walked next to her. "Weren't you just going in?" He questioned her more, seeming to boil her a little more.

"Today's weird. Mood swings like crazy, and no it's not my period." She stopped to point at him, making sure he got the point. To Matt's confusion, the girl looked almost perfect in her scowling face. He noticed the small lines above her wrinkled brows and smiled. "What?" She suddenly relaxed and allowed herself to fall into the same playful mood he was in.

"I'm sorry, Sora." He said, still laughing. "I was wondering if you wanted to go grab something to eat with me? It's my treat for being such an idiot before." The slender girl stood silently for a moment as she observed his expression. He just got back together with his girlfriend, and suddenly started flirting with another girl. Maybe not for the Ishida, but Sora definitely thought it was weird.

"Excuse me for the slight eavesdropping, didn't Askia ask you the same thing just earlier?" She asked, knowing that would make her vulnerable to any of his returning attacks.

"Eavesdropping? Gasp! Sora, such a sin!" Luckily for Sora... he was lame. He put a hand to his mouth sarcastically.

"Spaz."

"What?" His voice made a high squeak. Sora burst out laughing and pushed Matt on the arm while holding her sides. With a small smile stuck to her face, she randomly started walking again, soon to find the blond at her side again. "Anyway, as I was about to say. I already promised myself I would repent and take you out today. And Askia will always be there, she'd understand; we've been friends for a hell of a long time. So what do you say? I'll never feel better about the whole deal if I can't even try to repent! I honestly-"

"Shut up will you? You're repeating yourself too much. If you could shush that mouth of yours just for a second, you would know I'd say okay like a million words ago." She hit his head playfully and began walking again. Behind her, he was smiling like some retarded buffoon with ice cream.

'Just maybe...' Sora thought warmly to herself.

* * *

Very disorganized chapter if you ask me... 

Well, that was my last chapter that I actually had done before now. I have absolutely nothing after this. So the next chapter will be... a while from now!! Oh, and digimon's not mine.

Thanks a lot guys, review please!


	4. Slaughter point 5

I'm just going to say… this is a pretty slow chapter… it just explains the backgrounds and such!

READ THIS FOR A HEADS UP: I'm splitting this chapter into two because... it's getting kind of longer than I want. There's stuff that happens in this first half, but the second half has the climax of the chapter! Thanks guys! Please enjoy and review!

Ch. 4 Slaughter 1/2

Their junior year went by faster than they would have thought. The end of the year was just around the corner and they were psyched. "Hey Matt." The small frame of a girl wrapped around him. A lot of their friends couldn't figure out how they kept their relationship going for so long, especially since the other girl's arrival or 'interference'. "You want to go get lunch with me?" He nodded and let the girl take him into one of the lunch lines. The blonde looked down at his white tennis shoes while he silently heard the loud noises of the cafeteria, not listening to any one sound in particular.

"Yamato?" He looked up to see a familiar pair of eyes watching him, concerned. The friendship between them had always been steady and unbroken.

"Yeah?"

"Is everything alright? You don't seem on top of your game today."

"Just fine Sor, thanks." He smiled at her, trying to convince her otherwise. His clear blue eyes continued to tell her differently. She had a good gut for deciphering when there was a lie or not, especially with those amazing orbs of azure alluringness.

"So anyhow," Askia continued from where she left off, "what do you think Matt?"

"I'm sorry, what?"

"Were you listening at all?" His girlfriend questioned worriedly as Sora watched the conversation carry on roughly between the couple. Matt shook his head and massaged the sides of his forehead.

"No, sorry. I didn't get any sleep last night." He murmured, one of the few truths he had told that day. "I'm just going to go sit down." He excused himself and placed his long body on the brown bench.

"So Yamato, I heard you made the varsity basketball team. A lot of pressure huh?" He watched the girl sit next to him while he lay there, confused out of his mind. He would never have the notion to even pretend to try-out for the basketball team; Sora knew that by now.

"Yeah, I guess. The coaches are being really difficult. They tell me to do something and I don't know how to respond; it's like-"

"Hey, missed me ladies?" Matt looked at the bearer of the voice and grinned. Tai put his arms around their shoulders and laughed. "You didn't abuse Matt while I was gone did you, Sora?" He laughed that genuine laugh that Sora admired and missed so much.

"I held back. I missed you!" She shouted as she pulled him into a quick embrace. "How was your trip?"

"Oh, it was amazing! I wish I could have taken you guys with me! England is great!" He spread out his hands to show his extreme emotion and excitement and nearly knocked someone over. "Sorry! Oh, Askia! Hey you! Good to see you." He suddenly calmed when he saw her expression. Something bothered her, it bothered him. "I've got to tell you all about it! One week gone, and it's like I'm a new person!" He placed his hand towards the ceiling in a dramatic pose as if he were making a statement to a higher power. He stayed in that statued pose for a moment as his friends glared at him with eyes roaring in laughter before he swung the girl around and began walking out of the cafeteria, talking non-stop.

"You just have to love him." Sora smiled, watching her friends talk to one another as they faded into the crowd of high school students. "Anyway Matt, about basketball."

"What are you doing Sora? You know I wouldn't play high school basketball… ever."

"In a way, it was hypothetical. Besides, I was getting something out of you, wasn't I? I mean you were going a long with it." Sora tapped the top of her water bottle and stared at it. Matt suddenly felt nervous, she had something that always made him feel unsettled. It was something different than what he was used to, something he just couldn't get used to. He wasn't sure if he could handle it either. "You were lying to everyone."

"What are you talking about? I never lie, Sora."

"Whatever. You can tell me what's bothering you. I won't criticize you; I might actually try to help too." Her smile was ridiculous, and Matt could never reject his friend's laughter. She always managed to get him to smile in the most unlikely situations. Sora wouldn't know, but he was grateful. His eyes gaped at her, yet to leave the presence of her own eyes. "Fine, ignore me." Sora turned to sit on the bench; the way people intended it to be used. The lower point of view of Sora, interestingly enough, intrigued him a great deal. He was watching her face as her mouth continued to open and close, muttering something. She was probably complaining about him, to him. It was nothing Matt hadn't come to be accustomed to. Hearing a faint murmur that sounded close to Sora's voice, he glanced at her mouth. Not yet. It hadn't stopped yet. His eyes suddenly drifted to her nose. He noticed that her nostrils were short and triangularly shaped; also he found that when Sora was talking while frustrated, her nostrils seemed to be bigger… noticeably bigger. With that, the blonde perfection burst into laughter, almost causing the girl beside him to fall dead into shock. "That is not funny, Ishida! I swear you'll get yourself killed!"

"You should consider more often that I could possibly not be listening… at all…" His voice trailed on, seeming to be hiding something, still.

"If I could tear you to pieces, you'd be rotting in a hole already! Goodness Ishida!"

"Sora, can I ask you something?"

"Go for it, as long as you don't kill yourself in the meanwhile." Her low sarcastic murmur hummed in the air between them. She turned to face him, who was now sitting up and carried a little more serious look. She hoped it meant he would open up some more. She was taken aback slightly, then realizing the intensity that was buried in his eyes. He was quiet for a long while; she was getting more nervous by the second.

"Your… nostrils get really big when you're annoyed. Did you know that?" At that instant, Matt felt a pounding at his skull. No doubt, she hit him again. _There's absolutely no way of counting the thousands of times she's hit me._ Matt thought silently with an unchanged facial expression that he set for Sora. Something about that made him feel more at ease than he had all week.

"You're absolutely unbelievable Yamato!" She fumed as she rose from the bench and stared at him. His head became lower and angled. "What are you doing?"

"See, they are bigger!"

"MORON!!!"

-

((A/N: On any typing document thing, type in the signs for: "less than", "left parenthesis", "apostrophe", "carrot", "apostrophe", "left parenthesis", and "greater than". It's the underside of Sora... ah ha ah haha ahah... I'm lame I know. I thought it was pretty dang awesome. FF just wouldn't let me put it in...))

-

Once the clamor of the cafeteria simply became background noise, Tai stopped and smiled at Askia. "Why are we stopping here?" Askia looked around, trying to spot something special.

"What's up with you?" His voice carried on melodically with a casual presentation.

"Just this and that." The girl was still bewildered at her returning friend's sudden actions. She had a feeling that she knew what he was getting at. She wasn't going to give in.

"Don't lie to me. I can tell something's up when I see that glum face."

"What do you mean?" She touched her face, fearing less that mere perfection was showing. She sighed, knowing he was right and she couldn't escape it. It was Tai she was dealing with, even if she didn't want to give in, it was Tai; seriously. "Matt doesn't seem to listen to me anymore. And then when Sora comes by, it's like he doesn't even have to open his mouth to get his point across to her. As of now, I can tell there's nothing going on between them, but it just worries me."

"You guys have gotten so far in your relationship, I don't think it'll regress any more. Besides, I've gotten in on a scoop. I believe Sora has a thing for someone else." Askia watched him carefully as his eyebrows made smooth movements up and down.

"Who is it?"

"Ah, I don't think I should tell you." The girl in front of the largely haired boy looked suspicious. "I was sworn into secrecy." She knew that Tai was someone who could seriously come up with false rumors that flew around the school in no time. She had a difficult time deciding if his claim was legitimate. "So anyhow, Askia, when you guys get married next year, you'll be happy that you guys don't have that immediate connection. Being married is like a death trap. You'll be glad to be able to keep your secrets to yourself." Tai explained to her as if he experienced it himself. "You see, Sora is like another of Matt's guy friends, except she's hot, and not a guy. Guys have like a second point five language just within guys. Not that Sora's a guy, but she seems to have that second and a half language communication with Matt. It's a natural wonder." There went his ridiculous grin again. She laughed softly and smiled at him. Sometimes, she wished things turned out differently.

"What cha talkin' bout?" Sora's deep red haired head them popped up in between them. Tai laughed and smothered the girl in a bear hug. "Get off me Taichi."

"Well, we were talking about how you and Matt wouldn't be able to join us on Saturday for movie night, since you guys have that Physics butt load of a project to do." Tai smiled widely, all his teeth in perfect view, almost causing Sora to gag. Askia thought for a moment about what Tai said. It was both good and bad. She would be ale to spend more time alone with Tai since they hadn't for a long time; that was good. On the other hand, it was bad because it was the same situation with Matt and Sora. Askia found a firm frown on her face. She disliked it even though she knew there wasn't any way to get around it.

-

"Let's get down to it!" The boy's golden hair flowed with his movements as he jumped over the couch and landed next to Sora who was gazing at the papers on the adjacent table. She rolled her eyes and quickly returned her attention to the papers.

"I've been doing this for at least ten minutes now, while you were over there, dillydallying with the butterflies and bunnies." Saturday morning didn't see the girl in high spirits, Sora preferred using that time to sleep, but Mr. Kotuku decided otherwise.

"Okay, sorry. Let's just-"

"Mmmhmm…"

"What was that?" Matt asked Sora, looking up at her.

"I didn't say anything." Suddenly a painful realization struck Matt.

"Do you want to do this over at your place?" He insisted as he stood. He grabbed her arm and pulled her off the couch and headed for the door before she could respond. She watched him wordlessly as they stepped outside. He quickly closed the door. She gazed up at him shortly as a dorky grin crept onto his lips.

"Are you okay Matt?" Her beautifully colored eyes glimmered downward as she asked.

"Yeah, just fine. Why do you ask?"

"Well, you got us out of there so fast, I didn't even get my shoes." She looked up at him while she played with her toes. He laughed to cover up his foul up.

"I was just too excited to see your mom. She actually likes me, and she makes good cookies." The two teens stood close on top of the doormat outside.

"You suck at lying so badly." She commented slowly as she reached for the door. She stepped back inside not noticing her friend hesitating heavily behind her. Even slower, Sora picked up her things and placed them neatly in her hands, double-checking for everything.

"Yaaamaaaato!" Sora's head suddenly flashed in Matt's direction when she heard the slightly familiar voice. "Come here honey, I have a request."

"Dad!" Sora came closer and peeked around the corner to see Matt trying to push his half-dressed dad back into the bedroom. "Sora's over, please don't do this, not right now." He shouted in a whisper.

"The party's only just begun sweetheart!" Sora heard a squealing voice from within the room. "Booze all around!" The frail voice came again, louder this time. The woman looked the boy up and down, "I wuln't mind gettin some a tha-" Still peeking at the corner, she saw the frame of a young woman behind Hiroaki Ishida, possibly half his age. Just as Matt had responded, Sora jumped in her skin when she realized what was going on in the bedroom. Instantly her eyes shut and put her back against the wall, facing away.

"Dear god!" Matt's voice rung loudly in Sora's ears as he forced his dad back into the room with his companion. Matt ran into the small living room and grabbed Sora's wrist to get out of there. Matt ran them to the park and they sat down at the bench, silently.

"So, your dad, he gets around…" The words involuntarily left Sora's thin lips.

"Yeah, I'm so sorry about that. So sorry."

"It's okay, Matt." She whispered as the early morning breeze lashed at them. She shivered and realized that she left her jacket in Mr. Ishida's living room. Her thoughts traveled, and she quivered again, but for a completely different reason. Sora looked at Matt who seemed to be deeper in his thoughts than usual. "I'll go get something warm to drink. Be right back." She watched him sit there, not responding to anything happening around him. Her legs brought her to a familiar stand where she always bought hot chocolate during the winter as a child. With happy memories, she bought two warm cups of delicious delight and returned to Matt who was yet to change position. "Matt?" Sora began to worry. "I'm going to ruin your hair with this hot chocolate within the next few seconds, okay? Might ruin your head skin a little too."

"What?"

"I'm glad you're still with me." The warm Styrofoam left her hand into his as she sat back down. "What were you thinking about?"

"Oh, nothing really."

"Do you ever think we might get tired of hearing you lie all day?" Sora whispered, just loud enough for the blonde next to her could hear. She looked deeply at her reflection, applying what she said to her own life. _I could use a little help with that myself… _Sora suddenly fell out of her thoughts and caught the end of Matt's sentence.  
"…not the only one." Lightning suddenly flashed around them, followed by a light rain. It grew heavier as Sora stood to leave.  
"Great, let's head back to my place before we get drenched." Thunder clattered menacingly in their ears. Matt watched Sora's back shake with her hands to her ears as she began jogging towards home.

Sora and Matt made it to her place laughing after Matt had slipped in a puddle and pulled Sora down with him on accident. The two of them walked in dripping as another burst of lightning trailed them in. As soon as her eyes met with the sudden light, she pushed Matt to walk inside faster, instantly shutting the door after him and ran to turn on the radio. The older blonde looked at her suspiciously, she smiled in return. "It's already ten, we better start on it. Knowing the way you work, we'll need a few days to finish this. Come on!" Sora pushed enthusiastically as she spread out their wet belongings on the table. "Morning storms are so troublesome, better than night storms though." Matt heard Sora murmur apathetically to herself.

"Why do you say that?"

"Huh, I was just… talking to myself, don't mind me."

"Sora, you know you do that too much."

"Just like you and lying. Oh, what a coincidence, Yamat-" The sounding of her voice ended when thunder rung again. "I'm going to go change really fast, I'll be with you momentarily." Her non-casual actions troubled Matt more than the incident that morning. He waited lazily on the couch listening to Sora's stereo in the kitchen and the one playing in her room while more than ten minutes passed by. His curiosity pushed him off the comfort of the couch. "Sora?" Matt placed his ear close to the door and didn't expect Sora to hear him since her loud music drowned out every other sound.

"Mom?"

"Haven't heard that one before, but I could work up to that." He said sarcastically into the crack of the door, trying to get his auburn headed friend to open up. Matt imagined the girl on the other side of the walls rolling her eyes and pouting shortly to herself before submitting to the "greater power". Shortly after, the door swung open, revealing Sora, seeming normal as ever; almost. Matt noticed a redness appearing in her eyes and cheeks.

"So, what's up?" His deep eyes stared, suppressing his laughter.

"What's up?" He echoed the question. "I thought we were doing our project, are we not?"

"Right." The girl in front of him gathered her thoughts together as she straightened her shirt and stepped out into the openness beyond her room. He observed Sora walking slowly to their damp papers as he reached into his pocket for his phone.

"Hello?" She turned around to watch him blissfully move his lips adjacent to the mouthpiece. "I'll be there, don't worry." He responded responsibly after carefully listening to the person on the other end. Sora waited curiously for a reply. "That was my brother, he's having a little trouble with something. I've got to go."

"Can I come with you?" Her words were shot out the instant Matt closed his mouth. He noticed her glace shortly outside at the gray skies. Her deep ginger eyes returned the gaze to the tall blonde, startling him slightly.

"Well," He started, but refrained from saying anything unnecessary.

"I don't like being home alone. I know I suck, but I just don't like it." Her slender face pointed down, disabling Matt from telling if she was lying.

"Sora, it's something perso-"

"Please?" He didn't even have to look at her to know what face she was giving him. It had to be the begging, almost desperate, yet beautiful expression that even Askia couldn't say 'no' to. Matt grabbed the girl's wrist, ruining her hopeful look. He quickly found her keys on the kitchen counter before heading to her car. They've done this routine multiple times before; it somehow was a satisfying deal for Sora, to know someone was there all the time that knew how she worked, how things flow with her. Sitting in the passenger seat of her car, Sora was fidgeting.

"Everything okay over there, Sor?" Matt asked, his eyes never leaving the road. They slowly stopped at the streetlight as a pair of blue eyes slowly glanced to the side at her.

"GO!!" She screamed at the very instant the light turned green.

"Geez, what went up yours and died a few dozen times?"

"Yamato, dearest, you're an unimaginably SLOW DRIVER! I could walk faster than this!"

"Well, sorry I try to obey the law and stay within the speed limit!" They could have argued for hours if not for arriving at their destination. "Whatever Sora, you know I'm right." Matt claimed as he got out of the car and headed up without waiting for his companion. At a trailing distance, Sora watched the blonde open the door; it practically swung open. He closed the door behind him, leaving Sora outside by herself. She quietly approached the apartment and peered in. She was staring at the back of Matt's t-shirt, stained from their impact with the wet ground earlier. She looked past the boy and analyzed the situation like Matt was doing. A woman hung around a man, wasted. Her eyes fluttered like she was half conscious. A younger and smaller version of Matt stood nearby them, completely confused, like everyone else in the room. The man holding their mother up spoke,

"Well, your mom here is my co-worker, and I happened to find her at a bar this morning, and I thought I should take her home."

"You know, you're so beautiful Hiroaki." Sora watched as the blonde woman began fondling the mans face, smiling like a crazed hag.

"We'll take it from here, thank you." Matt steeped up to his mother and gripped her as the man passed Sora, leaving the awkward situation. Just as Matt started to feel he was taking his part of responsibility, and had firm hold on his mother, something happened that greatly displeased him. She began purging right on the spot. Sora saw his pained expression and quickly entered into the apartment. "Sora?" The older blonde questioned while she took charge and took his mother off his hands.

"Go change." Sora whispered to him almost mutely and hurriedly went into the kitchen to fix up Natsuko. Matt did as told and came back to Sora on the floor, cleaning after their mother while talking to Takeru. "Does this happen a lot?"

"Not until recently. Mom has been doing this more than twice a week for the past few months now. I usually don't call Matt because it's so early in the morning when mom gets home. I hope that my brother doesn't have to go through so much, again and again."  
"What about you? Do you get scared or tired of it?" Sora asked as if she had done a research on these things. From the doorway, Matt sighed silently, watching Sora rubbing the carpet.

"It's my mom, what else am I supposed to do? Since mom and dad separated, I've had a hard time finding someone I can go to." Sora looked up sadly at TK as he rubbed his eyes. "I know Matt's going through the same thing, so it's only fair that I take my share."

"TK, I can be here for you okay? You can tell I've done this before." She laughed coldly at her systematic way of dealing with these types of things. In many ways, she regretted that she was so practiced at this. "You can call me any time, any time at all, when you need me okay?" Matt's gemstone-like eyes watched her embrace his little brother, almost at the break of tears.

"Sora," He entered after recomposing himself. "Thanks for helping out, but I should take you home. We'll do our project another time. I'll be back later, alright TK?"

"Matt, I can stay and he-"

"Let's go." The tone in his voice told her hold her tongue, though it was like instinct to start up controversy. Sora found herself in the same position earlier, squirming in the passenger seat. She calmed slowly as Matt gradually sped up. "Sora, you have to know that I appreciate what you did, a lot, but you can't just walk in and take my big brother position." Her eyes observed his cold features as he tranquilly told her.

"I wouldn't do that, Yamato. I just can't stand seeing it happen all over again."

"What?" For the first time, Matt took his glance off the road while driving to look at her. With his character, it was natural that he began slowing down.

"Would you please, please, please, step on that petal?" Sora shouted with her hands to her face.

"Sor, are you crying?" A long silence wrapped itself around the air between them, the speed yet to change.

"I'm scared of slow driving." A muffled voice said bluntly, barely clear enough for Matt to hear. "I pretty much freak out when we're driving like a snail. It's OCD or something." Unconsciously, Matt began picking up the speed.

"That's kind of funny because," He said softly and slowly, "I'm afraid of driving fast and carelessly." Another painful silence passed by, not understood. "My dad got into a car accident a long time ago. Dad made a habit of driving really fast and doing other things rather than paying attention to where he was going. As a family, we were struggling financially at the time. The accident really didn't help, and that was what started the first stage of the divorce between our parents. It's almost irrelevant, but it's still something I don't seem to be able to get over. Something as little as this, I shouldn't care about it, but it scares me. I don't know how else to say it." He began slowing down again, reminding himself of the initiative to the long road of heart aching.

"My dad just left us one day. I watched him drive away in the rain as if it was in slow motion. When he was in that car driving off, I just wished he could have been changing his mind, coming back to say sorry and start over, but he just kept going. He went so slowly, the pain was elongated even more than it should have. Like you said, it should be nothing, but it just won't go away. I know where you come from, but I absolutely detest that your fear is exactly the opposite of what I'm afraid of. It's just not fair." She mumbled and put her head against the side window. "Before he left, dad would always come home drunk. That's why I knew what to do with your mom. You really shouldn't see my helping as taking over your position. Even though I've never had a younger sibling, I know you always want to be there for them. And when you can't, you feel insecure." She stopped to evaluate her thoughts and spoke again, "Yamato, I'm not going to take your big brother role, but let it be known, I'm not just going to sit around watching you and your brother run around like idiots not knowing what to do. You should also know, I won't only be there for TK, but I'll be here for you too."


End file.
